Last week, Mayor Ron Nirenberg was named to a national affordable housing task force recently formed by the National League of Cities (NLC).
The task force, comprised of 18 city leaders, “will develop a set of best and promising practices at the local level, as well as policy recommendations to federal and state governments,” according to an NLC news release.
Formed by Nirenberg in August 2017, San Antonio’s own Housing Policy Task Force released its policy recommendations this summer, and City Council approved them shortly after. The City’s fiscal year 2019 budget includes $25 million – a $17 million increase over last year’s budget – for programs that support affordable housing programs. The recommendations include estimates for the 10-year funding plan that approaches $3.9 billion in public and private funding.
“San Antonio is proactively addressing the challenge of housing affordability to avoid the crisis affecting so many U.S. cities,” Nirenberg stated Monday in a local news release. “I am proud to contribute lessons from San Antonio because our community-driven, data-informed process is a model that cities can replicate nationwide.”
Karen Freeman-Wilson, NLC president and mayor of Gary, Indiana, created the task force that will be chaired by Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington, D.C.
“The affordable housing crisis is one of the most critical issues we are facing in this country,” Bowser stated. “From investing hundreds of millions of dollars for affordable units in new developments to building creative living spaces, like grand-family housing for seniors raising their grandchildren, we know that mayors will lead the way in providing innovative solutions.”
In additions to Bowser and Nirenberg, task force members include:
- Councilman Jesse Matthews of Bessemer, Alabama
- Mayor John Giles of Mesa, Arizona
- Mayor Libby Schaaf of Oakland, California
- Councilman Albus Brooks of Denver
- Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta
- Councilwoman Denise Moore of Peoria , Illinois
- Councilman Brandon Scott of Baltimore
- Mayor Vi Lyles of Charlotte
- Councilman David Bobzien of Reno, Nevada
- Mayor Lovely Warren of Rochester, New York
- Mayor Jamael Tito Brown of Youngstown, Ohio
- Councilman Greg Evans of Eugene, Oregon
- Councilwoman Lana Wolff of Arlington, Texas
- Councilwoman Teresa Mosqueda, Seattle
- Carolyn Coleman, executive director of the League of California Cities
- Daniel P. Gilmartin, executive director & CEO, Michigan Municipal League
Founded in 1924, the National League of Cities is a national advocacy organization that counts more than 19,000 cities and towns in its membership, according to its website.
Nirenberg, most Council members, and city management staff recently attended NLC’s 2018 City Summit in Los Angeles. Next year’s summit will take place in San Antonio.
